Elbow Pain
Elbow pain is frustrating and can result from a range of conditions with a variety of causes and contributors. Dysfunction of the elbow joint and the surrounding muscles can produce pain and greatly impact on our day to day lives.
Causes of elbow pain
Elbow pain can be caused by a range of acute injuries, overuse aggravations and underlying pathological conditions such as arthritis. Some common causes of elbow pain include:
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis): A tendinopathy - an overuse injury associated with pain on the outside of the elbow caused by the irritation of the tendons from muscles in the forearm that extend the wrist and fingers. This is a common injury in professions such as painting, carpentry and plumbing. Physiotherapy helps with tennis elbow by prescribing a combination of activity modifications, taping or bracing, exercises and muscle release.
Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis): A tendinopathy - an overuse injury associated with pain on the inside of the elbow, caused by the irritation of the tendons from muscles in the forearm that flex the wrist and fingers. Physiotherapy helps with golfers' elbows by prescribing a combination of activity modifications, taping or bracing, exercises and muscle release.
Nerve irritation (cubital tunnel syndrome): A condition where the ulnar nerve becomes irritated as it passes through the cubital tunnel (a tunnel of muscle, ligament, and bone) on the inside of the elbow. This can cause an aching pain on the inside of the elbow or pain similar to when you hit your ‘funny bone’. It can also cause numbness or tingling in the hand and little/ring fingers or weakness in the hand.
Bursitis: Bursitis is the inflammation of the bursae, small fluid-filled sacs that cushion our joints. In the elbow, this usually happens after you have accidentally hit it on something. It causes redness, pain and significant swelling.
Arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common cause of elbow arthritis. The long-term disease makes your immune system attack the lining of your joints, causing pain, swelling, and inflammation. It often affects joints on both sides of your body. Osteoarthritis is more common in weight bearing joints, but can also occur in the elbows.
Fractures: these happen following trauma such as falling onto the elbow or onto an outstretched arm. If we are concerned about a fracture we will refer for scans.
How can physiotherapy help with elbow pain?
At Best Physiotherapy we utilize a range of treatment modalities to assist in managing your elbow pain. We are experts at identifying the cause of your elbow pain in order to commence the right treatment course. It is important to identify the underlying cause of the pain, the aggravating factors and the sensitivity of the elbow after use to make your rehabilitation specific to you. There are many benefits to seeing us for your elbow pain:
Accurate diagnosis and education on the condition.
Pain and symptom management: We can use a variety of manual therapy techniques (mobilisations, massage, needling) and biomechanical modification (changing the way you move your body) to reduce elbow pain. This in turn reduces the need for or reliance on medication. It should be noted however that sometimes prescription medications are required and if a medical review is indicated we will always refer to when necessary.
Graded exercise rehabilitation: Movement is medicine so figuring out how to move safely and what exercises you should be doing in what order is the key. We will tailor exercises specifically to you and your symptoms depending on the driver of your elbow pain. We will work on a range of exercises for mobility, strength and endurance to improve function and reduce pain.
Functional rehabilitation: Ultimately the goal of any rehabilitation program is to get back to doing the things you love as well as the basics that you need for day to day life. We will work with you to create a personalised program that will help you to regain your functional abilities
Prevention of further injury: Recurrent elbow pain is common. A successful physiotherapy rehabilitation program ensures that you are not at risk of repeated or additional injury. Checking that you have dealt with the underlying cause of an injury and then incorporating functional training to reduce reinjury risk is the final stage of rehabilitation.
Elbow pain can have a significant effect on your goals and daily activities, but with the right physiotherapy treatment, you can regain your function and freedom. At Best Home Therapy, located at 72 Maribyrnong Street, Footscray, we aim to manage your pain, prevent future injuries and get you back to doing what you love.